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Presented by Frank Morris

Learning Objectives: A mini-lesson for the non-specialist in a

hurry

What is a Learning Objective (LO)?

– LO’s are often written with a standard format. They look like:At the end of this course, students will be able to (for example) sell widgets using our sales model in a friendly and professional manner.

– A well-designed LO is:•About student outcomes, not teaching process•Specific and observable

– Learning specialists think LO’s are extremely important. Why is that?

Why should you care about LO’s?

• Inform which teaching materials and methods to use

• Provide instructional designers with freedom within constraints

• Lead to consistent results without requiring consistent approach

• Help organize time and effort thereby making instruction more efficient

Which looks most like an LO?

1. The course discusses and illustrates the principles and techniques of computer programming.

2. Students will be able to write and test a program that calculates arithmetic averages.

#1 is a course description. It doesn’t tell us what it’s

supposed to accomplish. It’s about process, it’s general and i

t’s about what the teacher intends to cover.

#2 describes outcomes, it’s specific, it’s about what the students will be capable of

doing.

Which is an outcome and which is a process?

1. Students will use case studies and role-plays to learn how to diagnose illness in patients.

Students will be able to sing a duet while staying in tune.

The difference is like that between “bread” and “baking”. Bread is the outcome while baking is the

process.

OUTCOME

PROCESS

Which of these statements relate to student, as opposed to instructor, performance?

1. Lecture on the theory of quantum mechanics.

2. Be able to draw cartoons.

3. Arrange field trips.

4. Arrange role-playing exercises.

5. Write a business letter.

6. Explain the importance of net income.

1.

2.

3. 4.

5.

6.

Note your answers on some scrap

paper and check them on the

next slide!

How did you do?

1. Lecture on the theory of quantum mechanics.

2. Be able to draw cartoons.

3. Arrange field trips.

4. Arrange role-playing exercises.

5. Write a business letter.

6. Explain the importance of net income.

1. No. Instructors lecture; students listen.

2. Yes.

3. No. Instructors do this.

4. No. Instructors arrange exercises.

5. Yes.

6. Yes as long as its the student doing the explaining.

Specific and Observable

• LO’s are specific rather than general, broad or fuzzy.– Be careful when you see words like “to know”

or “to understand” in an LO. These are inherently fuzzy and mean different things to different people

• LO’s become observable when you can see or hear their accomplishment.

Which of the following are specific and observable statements?

The answers are on the next slide…

1. Understand logic

2. Know your enemy

3. Thread a needle

4. Reassemble a motor

5. Think before greeting a customer

6. Smile when greeting a customer

Specific statements are precise; you can tell immediately if you have met the objective or not.Observable statements can be seen or heard.

1. Understand logic

2. Know your enemy

3. Thread a needle

4. Reassemble a motor

5. Think before greeting a customer

6. Smile when greeting a customer

Where do LO’s come from?

• Method:– List the steps to perform a task (or draw a flowchart)– Ask “what would I need to know or be able to do before

I’d be ready to perform this task?”– Craft specific and observable LO’s from your answer

Practice developing LO’s to teach a task you know well

1. Think about a little task you perform each day. For example, brushing your teeth or driving to work

2. Ask yourself “what would I need to know or be able to do to perform this task?” Make a list or a flowchart. No more than 9 items or steps please.

3. For each item or step, create a Learning Objective. Be sure that they are (1) about outcomes (not process), (2) specific, not fuzzy and (3) observable, i.e. someone else could see or hear you perform.

Congratulations. You now know what a Learning Objective is and how to create one.

Want to Know More?

• Mager, R.F.; Preparing Instructional Objectives 3rd ed.; 1997; CPE Press; Atlanta, Georgia.